Japanese officials meet with Evercare to discuss nurse practitioner model

Clockwise, from left: Yoko Hasegawa, Chief of Nursing Service Promotion, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan; Chihiro Kimura, RN, ARNP G-N, a former Evercare Nurse Practitioner who acted as a liaison and translator; Beth Whiteford, Evercare Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Advisor; and Haruka Ogawa, Chief of Nurse Section, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Photo courtesy of Evercare

The world’s aging population recently inspired Japanese health representatives to visit and study nurse practitioners in the United States.

Representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare last week visited an Evercare office in Elkridge, Md., and the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore to learn more about an “advanced nurse practitioner care model,” according to a release from Evercare.

The Ministry of Health representatives—Haruka Ogawa, Chief of Nurse Section; and Yoko Hasegawa, Chief of Nursing Service Promotion—received a presentation about nurse practitioner certifications and the profession's role in collaborative care.

Nurse practitioners are typically qualified to perform functions under a physician’s direction, such as ordering lab tests and writing prescriptions, and work with residents and families to create care plans, among other tasks that can vary by state.

“[Ogawa and Hasegawa] plan to utilize the information they received to help develop innovative and practical solutions for providing quality services to the elderly and to encourage discussion about end-of-life issues,” Evercare said in the release.